Prabowo
Encyclopedia
Prabowo Subianto was an Indonesia
n career soldier and currently a businessman and a politician. Married to former President Suharto's daughter, Siti Hediati Hariyadi (Titiek Soeharto), he was influential under the New Order administration.
The 1998 Revolution cut short his career, and he was accused of involvement in various "riots, plunderings, rapes and murders". Similar accusations were made by various NGOs of his efforts to preserve Indonesian rule in East Timor
. The controversial special forces unit Kopassus
, which he commanded between 1995 and 1998, was implicated in these alleged crimes.
The Great Indonesia Movement Party
(Gerindra) nominated Prabowo for the presidency in the run-up to the 2009 Indonesian presidential election
, however he eventually agreed to run for the vice-presidency alongside presidential candidate Megawati Sukarnoputri
.
On November 21, 2011 Prabowo Soebianto has affirmed that he intends to run for president in 2014.
, the Tirtamas Group, until it went bankrupt during the 1997-98 economic crisis. He graduated from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1974 together with others who would gain senior positions such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
, who would later become a prominent reform-minded general and be elected President of Indonesia
in 2004.
As a Lieutenant-General in command of the special forces unit, Kopassus
, between December 1995 and March 1998, Prabowo returned to East Timor
, where according to Prof. Ronald Palmer of George Washington University
, former US Ambassador to Malaysia, "[Prabowo] turned East Timor into a personal fief and a training ground for Special Forces black operations. He extended his protection to the notorious East Timor 'Ninja' criminals and used them in extra-legal operations involving torture, extortion, murder, kidnapping, etc. in other regions of the nation, before and after he become Special Forces commander in 1995"
Outside Indonesia he was considered a likely heir presumptive, underlined by the fact that he was said to be "lionized by his American counterparts as a future national leader".
under his command". Specifically, the human rights group charged that
that a major reason for that decision - "taken after considerable deliberations" - was "a reasonable belief that Prabowo was involved in the riots which devastated Jakarta in 1998" and that "witnesses had testified to his involvement in torture and the organizing of rapes during the May riots, both being crimes covered under the [UN] convention".
In Indonesian political debate, attention centered more on the accusations linking Prabowo with acts committed in the heart of Indonesia itself during the final year of the Suharto regime and especially in during the Jakarta Riots of May 1998
, and targeting groups - such as the followers of Megawati Sukarnoputri
- which came to prominence following 1998.
Prabowo was accused of involvement in "the kidnappings, tortures, abuses, and murders" of anti-Suharto intellectuals and activists. In their testimonies, former detainees told of being tortured for days in an unidentified location, allegedly a military camp where most of their time was spent blindfolded, while being forced to answer repeated questions, mainly concerning their political activities. According to the testimonies, they were kicked, punched, terrorised physically and mentally, and given electric shocks.
Prabowo is believed to have used Kopassus
- and the army in general - as the instrument to trigger chaos - during 1997 and 1998 mostly targeted the Indonesian-Chinese minority.
As described by Palmer, the fall of Prabowo was essentially accomplished in the space of three days: "On May 21 Prabowo met Habibie and demanded that Wiranto be replaced by his own man Gen. Subagiyo; however, Habibie decided instead to appoint Wiranto Minister of Defense and Security, as well as TNI commander. Wiranto then fired Prabowo as commander of the Strategic Reserve in the night of May 22. He was summoned by Wiranto on May 23 and reassigned to Bandung
".
In August 1998, the Dewan Kehormatan Perwira (Officers Council of Honor) found Prabowo guilty of "exceeding orders" in the kidnapping of anti-Suharto activists in 1998 but imposed no term of imprisonment. He then went into a kind of "voluntary exile" in Jordan
, but was forced to leave and go to Germany
and then Bangkok
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n career soldier and currently a businessman and a politician. Married to former President Suharto's daughter, Siti Hediati Hariyadi (Titiek Soeharto), he was influential under the New Order administration.
The 1998 Revolution cut short his career, and he was accused of involvement in various "riots, plunderings, rapes and murders". Similar accusations were made by various NGOs of his efforts to preserve Indonesian rule in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. The controversial special forces unit Kopassus
Kopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
, which he commanded between 1995 and 1998, was implicated in these alleged crimes.
The Great Indonesia Movement Party
Great Indonesia Movement Party
The Great Indonesia Movement Party is a political party in Indonesia. The party has nominated former Indonesian special forces commander Prabowo Subianto as its presidential candidate....
(Gerindra) nominated Prabowo for the presidency in the run-up to the 2009 Indonesian presidential election
Indonesian presidential election, 2009
Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2009. The elections returned a president and vice president for the 2009–2014 period. A run-off election was scheduled to be held on 8 September if needed, but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% of the vote in the first...
, however he eventually agreed to run for the vice-presidency alongside presidential candidate Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
.
On November 21, 2011 Prabowo Soebianto has affirmed that he intends to run for president in 2014.
Pre-1998 career
Prabowo is the son of former finance minister, one of Indonesia's most respected economists, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo. His brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, was the controller of one of Indonesia's larger conglomeratesConglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
, the Tirtamas Group, until it went bankrupt during the 1997-98 economic crisis. He graduated from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1974 together with others who would gain senior positions such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
, who would later become a prominent reform-minded general and be elected President of Indonesia
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.The first president was Sukarno and the current president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.- Sukarno era :...
in 2004.
As a Lieutenant-General in command of the special forces unit, Kopassus
Kopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
, between December 1995 and March 1998, Prabowo returned to East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, where according to Prof. Ronald Palmer of George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, former US Ambassador to Malaysia, "[Prabowo] turned East Timor into a personal fief and a training ground for Special Forces black operations. He extended his protection to the notorious East Timor 'Ninja' criminals and used them in extra-legal operations involving torture, extortion, murder, kidnapping, etc. in other regions of the nation, before and after he become Special Forces commander in 1995"
Outside Indonesia he was considered a likely heir presumptive, underlined by the fact that he was said to be "lionized by his American counterparts as a future national leader".
"Terror Squads" in East Timor
The Australia-based East Timor International Support Center demanded that Prabowo be prosecuted at the International War Crimes Tribunal "for the atrocities committed in East Timor by KopassusKopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
under his command". Specifically, the human rights group charged that
Prabowo has been implicated in the control of 'ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
squads', operated by the paramilitary groups in East Timor, which have been used by Kopassus and other elements of the military to terrorise and torture East Timorese suspected of supporting the pro-independence resistance.
According to the group, "leaked documents on actual ABRI troop numbers in East Timor indicate the existence of 13 paramilitary squads and contradicts ABRI's long-time claims of having no links with paramilitary groups in East Timor". Further, "the documents name groups like Team Alpha and Team Saka, which are known terror squads in the Indonesian-occupied territory, and support claims that [these groups] were supported by Kopassus, which was then under the command of Prabowo.
The numerous kidnappings, disappearances, torture and killings by instruments of the state, to keep Suharto in power and to consolidate ABRI's presence and control over East Timor, can be traced back to Prabowo.
Allegation of orchestrating May 1998 riot
A senior US official told The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
that a major reason for that decision - "taken after considerable deliberations" - was "a reasonable belief that Prabowo was involved in the riots which devastated Jakarta in 1998" and that "witnesses had testified to his involvement in torture and the organizing of rapes during the May riots, both being crimes covered under the [UN] convention".
In Indonesian political debate, attention centered more on the accusations linking Prabowo with acts committed in the heart of Indonesia itself during the final year of the Suharto regime and especially in during the Jakarta Riots of May 1998
Jakarta Riots of May 1998
The May 1998 Riots of Indonesia were incidents of mass violence that occurred throughout Indonesia, mainly in Medan in the province of North Sumatra , the capital city of Jakarta , and Surakarta in the province of Central Java...
, and targeting groups - such as the followers of Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
- which came to prominence following 1998.
Prabowo was accused of involvement in "the kidnappings, tortures, abuses, and murders" of anti-Suharto intellectuals and activists. In their testimonies, former detainees told of being tortured for days in an unidentified location, allegedly a military camp where most of their time was spent blindfolded, while being forced to answer repeated questions, mainly concerning their political activities. According to the testimonies, they were kicked, punched, terrorised physically and mentally, and given electric shocks.
Prabowo is believed to have used Kopassus
Kopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
- and the army in general - as the instrument to trigger chaos - during 1997 and 1998 mostly targeted the Indonesian-Chinese minority.
Allegation of attempted coup and Fall from grace
The fall of Suharto and his replacement by the Vice-President Habibie deprived Prabowo of his most important power source, though for a short time he and his associates still retained their positions in the army. In his published memoires, Habibie discloses that during his early days in power, there were wild movements of Army units around the Presidential Palace, organized by Prabowo.As described by Palmer, the fall of Prabowo was essentially accomplished in the space of three days: "On May 21 Prabowo met Habibie and demanded that Wiranto be replaced by his own man Gen. Subagiyo; however, Habibie decided instead to appoint Wiranto Minister of Defense and Security, as well as TNI commander. Wiranto then fired Prabowo as commander of the Strategic Reserve in the night of May 22. He was summoned by Wiranto on May 23 and reassigned to Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
".
In August 1998, the Dewan Kehormatan Perwira (Officers Council of Honor) found Prabowo guilty of "exceeding orders" in the kidnapping of anti-Suharto activists in 1998 but imposed no term of imprisonment. He then went into a kind of "voluntary exile" in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, but was forced to leave and go to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and then Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.